Shooters Hit New Jersey Police Officers' Home in 'Targeted' Attack
Police in New Jersey are asking for the public’s help after the home of two police officers was fired upon in a late night attack earlier this week.
The home, which is located in the community of East Camden, belongs to two married police officers and their newborn child, and was fired upon six times.
Two bullets struck and entered the home through the front door.
Their 10-day-old infant was born on Sept. 5 and was home with the officers during the attack, which occurred just days after two police officers were ambushed in an attempted execution in Compton, California.
No injuries were reported in the East Camden shooting, but rewards totaling $40,000 have been offered for the arrest and conviction of the assailants.
Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki held a news conference Thursday, where he asked for the help of the public in identifying the shooters.
“I don’t know why [the officers] were targeted,” Wysocki told reporters, according to the Courier Post.
A neighbor told the Post, “The baby was in there. People can just be so cruel.”
Wysocki said neighbors have been helpful with the investigation, but added that the department needs more information about the shooters.
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The chief added the victims are “two really good officers assigned to our Neighborhood Response Team.”
“They’re constantly interacting with members of the community,” he said.
“We’re looking into every arrest that they have had. We’re not going to leave a rock unturned.”
The department would not name the officers targeted, except to say that the male officer has been with the department for four years, and the woman has been with the department for two years.
“Thank God the officers and their baby were uninjured,” Wysocki said at the news conference, adding that the attempted shooting was not random.
“I do know that this was a targeted attack against this residence and the officers inside,” the police chief said.
Police believe three suspects were involved in the shooting.
2 gunmen open fire on home of officers in Camden; manhunt underway – via @6abc
Submit tips about these suspects anonymously to the Citizens Crime Commission at (215) 546-TIPS, our tip line at (856) 757-7042 or text through the @STOPitSolutions app.https://t.co/hlD3o3pOtV
— Camden County Police (@CamdenCountyPD) September 17, 2020
Investigators said they believe two people got out of a car and opened fire on the home while a third person remained in the car.
The vehicle is described as a 1998 Honda Odyssey with a temporary paper tag, and was discovered Thursday abandoned on a street in East Camden.
On the attempted shooting, Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli said, “I want to send a very clear message to the scumbag thugs behind this senseless act. We are coming to get you and you’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“If you think you can get away with these crimes under the cover of some unfortunate acts that may have taken part in other parts of the nation or under cover of some national movement, you are wrong,” Capelli said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Camden County Police Department at (856) 757-7042.
Anonymous tips can be given to the Citizen’s Crime Commission by calling (215) 546-TIPS.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
